What looks at first like a chain-mail bodysuit is actually a riding jacket designed to keep you cool when the going gets hot: Joe Rocket's Phoenix Jacket.

The Phoenix is designed as a warm-weather alternative to the hotter and heavier perforated leather or textile gear. Sure, leather is going to provide the best protection money can buy, but let's be honest: Who enjoys being wrapped in leather and saturated in sweat while being forced to endure the pain of unbearably high temperatures, fortified with additional heat emanating from a big machine between your legs? Enough of the S&M jokes, people, I'm being serious here. All the protection in the world is no good if it's left at home.

Free-air Poly-mesh material is the key to the Phoenix jacket design. The perforated outer shell allows cooling air to reach your body while holding no less than a dozen strategically located dual-density foam body-armor pads. The padding gives this jacket a decidedly futuristic appearance and was actually the jacket of choice for Vin Diesel in the movie "XXX."

The foam armor/padding will absorb some of the initial impact during a crash. But, as those of you who have actually crashed are painfully aware, seams can evaporate or tear, and synthetic material can burn through quicker than expected.

But when faced with the alternative of wearing a t-shirt or less on a hot afternoon ride instead of a leather jacket, the Phoenix is an intelligent choice. Once you get moving and the air reaches your skin, evaporative air cools the body. Your commute will not be as miserable, nor will getting stuck going 55 behind the short bus be as bad as the day before. Sure it may disappear quicker than a reality TV show runner-up if you crash at a 100 mph, but we can confidently state that in a crash, anything is better than nothing.

After wearing the jacket for half the summer, we have come to realize how great this type of jacket really is. Two exterior pockets and one interior wallet pocket provide enough stowage area to house your necessities. The Velcro arm-closures tuck the sleeves neatly inside your gloves, and the zip-out pad holders allow for a custom placement of padding if necessary. It's nice to be riding in comfort when the mercury rises into triple digits.

But the Phoenix is not without faults. No matter how good the design of a jacket, a rider's body will still be quite warm when the going gets slow in hot weather. After all, it is not a self-cooling garment; it needs fresh-air to work, so making forward movement is a must. Now, besides the get-off, there is one more situation worth avoiding when wearing perforated garments like this. Riding in cold weather!

If you really want to taste the free-air experience, ride to your significant-other's abode and then ride to work in the morning without cold-weather gear when temps are below 60. Then decide which is worse: freezing or frying? That experience may very well force you to pick up the optional Joe Rocket Dry Tech Liner that can be zipped in or out of the jacket to adjust for varying temperatures.

And if the Phoenix alone is not cool enough, another zip-in option from Joe Rocket is its Sahara Vest. The Sahara is designed to absorb body heat and release it through the vest surface, although we have not yet tested it to confirm the claims. These are not the only items designed to work with the jacket either. Every current Joe Rocket pant is compatible with the Phoenix, including the Phoenix pant.

The Phoenix looks cool and should absorb some of the initial damage from a crash, but you have to be realistic and understand that there is more protective riding gear available. Polyester mesh and foam pads are the least you can do to protect yourself. If you are okay with that, then the Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket is a great addition to your closet. It will get you through the summer and on down the road in comfort.

The Phoenix not only gets our stamp of approval but it has piqued our interest in the perforated polyester jacket market, so expect more tests of the other entries available to be coming soon.

Product: Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket
MSRP:  $139.95